Thanks to us, the American Public and our tax dollars. Oh and those JP Morgan bonus checks are going up 18%, YIPPPEEEEEE!!!!!

But, when will the American Public be "made whole". When is that bailout ferry coming down Main Street? Because it continues to pass us by....

The anger out in Main Street is real....

U.S. financial giant JPMorgan Chase said Friday it broke its revenue record in 2009, earned $11.7 billion in profits and would bump bonus checks 18 percent.

The bank is the first financial behemoth to release official records covering a controversial year in which taxpayers and politicians fumed over paychecks incomprehensible to some so soon after an industry bailout, The New York Times reported.

For 2009, JPMorgan set aside $26 billion for salaries and bonus checks for its employees -- an average of $272,000 per worker, although some checks would be far greater than that.

And the new tax that President Obama wants to put in place? Let us see how far that will go because so far, anything dealing with Wall Street has gone Wall Street's way from this administration. Is this tax a good political move for the Obama White House? Yes. Especially since many Americans feel this White House has not done enough to regulate these banks, push legislation against these banks, and have a compromised Treasury Secretary in Tim Geithner.

He would be wonderful in the Republican Party, he aligns with their platform. Now he want to bring this crap to NY? PLEASE. New Yorkers just say NO to Harold Ford, Jr. Remember he is Ann Coulter's favorite Democrat!!!

This is a great speech, but the reality is that most of these banks repaid the loan, and have given the government and American people a big "F and U". They are not lending out money, they have increase huge fees to many Americans, they are just fucking outrageous. The bottom line is this, this government under the leadership of George W. Bush and Barack Obama just gave these banks money with NO STIPULATIONS. Just gave the money out up front with no conditions or stipulations. That is what happened, we all know this. Does anyone perform business out here and just give your money to someone/a business without stipulations? I am sure you do not, but the government does. And while Barack Obama is at it, get rid of Timothy Geithner, he is compromised, damaged goods and never should have been confirmed. Folks, until the laws are changed on the books and action is taken, having these speeches and giving outrage means nothing. If you want real change, CHANGE THE DAMN LAWS.

Doctors Without Borders is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. Donate on line or toll free 1-888-392-0392.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and needs out help. 80% live in poverty conditions and the situation is dire right now. Every penny counts.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The hate continues...this from a televangelist? A man of God? Unbelievable. Takes Shepard Smith of FOX NEWS to set him straight. h/t Daily Kos

SMITH: The people of Haiti have been used and abused by their government over the years. They have dealt with unthinkable tragedy day in and day out. And we’re in the middle of a crisis the Western Hemisphere has not seen in my lifetime, and 700 miles east of Miami, hundreds of thousands of desperate human beings need our help, our support, our money, and our love. And they don’t need that.

So, he could not win it in Tennessee, relocates to New York, now wants to try it there. PLEASE, this man is more phony that a 25 dollar bill.

New Yorkers, PLEASE, have your eyes wide open on this fake, OK?

Harold Ford arrived in New York through one of its finer entry points: Sag Harbor, an exclusive section of pricey East Hampton, where in 2003 his father and predecessor in Congress bought a spacious house for $1.8 million.

The Sag Harbor spot, with tennis court and pool, was the perfect base for a young congressman from Tennessee who had always looked beyond his safe seat, a perfect platform for the beginnings of his campaign to win over the Hamptons and its exclusive and donor-filled social set — if not New York at large.

Ford’s public deliberation over running for the Senate from New York has drawn the usual charges of carpetbagging and the more serious question of whether he’s out of step with the liberal state’s values. But people close to Ford say the former congressman, a political nomad since childhood, is far more a New Yorker than anything else.

His political weakness, in short, isn’t that he’s not from New York. It’s that he’s spent the time since he lost a race for Senate and took a high-paid job with Merrill Lynch living a gilded Manhattan life available to only a few.

And being married to a former Merrill Lynch CEO, daughter doesn't hurt either.

This man and his corrupt family just need to GO AWAY. And the real kicker, Ford stating he has been to all five borroughs from a helicopter? When was the last time you won votes from the sky? Shit, brothers and sisters, you know what to do about FORD!!! OK?

Hello!!! Everyone was saying that from the GIT GO!!! Why has it taken so long for the White House and even members of congress to get it? The Republican Party is not going to be an honest broker about anything with the name OBAMA attached. Can we put this to bed and say we won't deal with the Republicans going forward? Geez, dumber than a box of rocks? You think?

"As I look back it was a waste of time dealing with [Snowe]," Reid is quoted as saying in a forthcoming New York Times Magazine piece, "because she had no intention of ever working anything out."

That's a harsh but understandable assessment. The White House was banking on Snowe's support for months, both as a means of securing conservative Democrats' support for the bill, and as a failsafe, in case Reid came up short on votes in the Democratic caucus. But after supporting the Senate Finance Committee's reform proposal, Snowe was hesitant to support major changes to the legislation, which Reid needed to make to keep the progressive wing of his caucus from defecting.

We now are arguing about the excise tax which will shaft middle class workers while the White House and congress will attempt to put lipstick on a nasty pig and make us believe that we must do this.

Who is buying this and if so, what are you smoking or even drinking?

I heard from 2 people recently.

One a friend whose brother is a member of the Teamsters and asked his sister directly, "Is Barack really going to try to tax my health care plan? He said he would not do that. If so, I am done with him."

The other, my brother a RN who is also a member of a union who called me in the wee hours of the morning chomping on the bits about congress taxing his health care plan and he heard this in the break room at his job.

I could not say anything to him because those in the bubble at 1600 PA AVE think they can get away with this and they probably will.

Hell, they have gotten away with watering down this health care bill, no health insurance bill, to practically nothing. Our president said that he did not campaign on the public option, when all his statements, speeches pointed that he did but we are looking at selective memory here. Our President said he would get cheaper drugs to us in this country and chastised the Bush Administration for the Medicare D sweetheart deal to the pharmaceutical companies when now the White House did the same damn thing, no cheaper drugs for us, American citizens. To even be more direct, remember this about the pharmaceutical companies?

And the icing on the cake is when the White House put that pressure down on the Byron Dorgan's Drug Importation Amendment and Democrats, yes, Democrats voted no for cheaper drugs to protect the White House sweetheart deal.

Sigh, Turkana is right, we have crumbled down to nothing with this health care bill, no health care insurance bill.

Union leaders, who are fighting a proposal to tax high-end health care plans (which would hit many union and non-union workers), have been working closely with House Democratic leadership to fight the provision and are slated to go to the Hill to talk strategy soon. (Updated Below)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.), along with Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), have both stressed their opposition to the so-called Cadillac Tax, on both policy and political grounds. In its place, they want to finance reform by issuing a tax on the wealthy -- a provision that labor supports.

But the deck seems stacked against them -- both the Senate and the White House are committed to including the excise tax in the final health care bill, citing the benefit it has in reeling in health care costs. In an hour-long meeting on Monday, the president did his best to present the benefits of the proposal in an effort to alleviate some of labor's concerns.

Details of the White House meeting are scant, with union sources staying uncharacteristically mum. But sources tell the Huffington Post that Obama re-affirmed his support of the excise tax while also signaling that he would try and find ways to dull its affect on working families. Several compromises were broached, including the possibility of raising the tax threshold from family health care plans valued at $23,000 to those valued at $25,000.

Whether this is enough of a concession to win labor's support, which seems unlikely, or at least mollify their opposition remains to be seen. But, at this juncture, the impasse over the excise tax seems quite vast -- to the point where it is no longer unreasonable to wonder if it could trip up the broader reform effort.

President Obama re-affirming his support of the excise tax.

Let me tell you what will happen. Or more importantly, do you remember President Bush (41) and how he got out of office? The Democrats used his own words to vote him out, "Read my lips, no new taxes..." And what did President Bush (41) do? He raised new taxes.

Sure, the Republicans are gas bags and ass hats. The public knows this. But if you want to really suppress voting, don't have boots on the ground, evaporated GOTV, then Democrats tax the shit out of the very public that put your asses in charge.

People that have union health plans, most have given major concessions to have this one luxury. It is called decent health insurance which most Americans DON'T have.

Finally, what happened about repealing the Bush Tax Cuts? We are too afraid to do this, but don't give a damn about taxing the shit out of folks who are barely making it out here?

I am sorry, but none of this makes any damn sense to me. What are the Democrats thinking!!

inclusive heart makes a very valid point, it is not just union households that this will affect, but anyone will get clipped by this tax, which will force you to buy a plan at a cheaper cost and less coverage. Good point.

The letter from the federal and postal employees frames the tax as both inequitable and potentially damaging to the prospects of recruiting future government employees. The groups write:

"While the excise tax is slated to be imposed on the insurers on so-called high cost plans, the tax will be passed on to enrollees in the form of higher premiums, co-pays or reduced benefits. [Blue Cross blue Shield] plans cover approximately 48 % of [Federal Employees Health Benefits Program] enrollees, or nearly 3.8 million Americans. Single enrollees would be subject to the effects of the tax in 2013, while families are hit in the third year. Including other, non-BC/BS plans, more than one-half of active and retired enrollees will face the effects of these taxes that accumulate to thousands of dollars in the middle to out years of the Senate-passed bill. Because we understand the value of all health care is counted towards the threshold amounts, enrollees with dental or vision coverage, or a Flexible Spending account, could reach the thresholds even sooner and feel the effects of this tax earlier.

Characterizing this tax proposal as a "Cadillac tax" is a misnomer. It hits the average blue collar and white collar employee or annuitant. FEHBP insurers will simply reduce coverage and, as the taxes increase, a downward spiral towards less coverage will ensue, which is antithetical to health care reform's states purpose. Penalizing FEHBP enrollees with this tax is a huge disincentive to qualified applicants seeking federal or postal employment. It is bad for the government and bad policy overall.

People around here forget that Barack Obama told Hillary Clinton that words matter. Well, words do matter, the words matter more so from our president. When you continue to go back on what you said, you deserve to get blasted and many have the right to become suspect. That means we have the right to question every step made by this administration and as the unions have reminded our president, he needs to remember what he said during the campaign.

In a private conversation reported in the book, Reid described Obama as a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

In fact the reference that Bill Clinton made to the late Teddy Kennedy about Barack Obama, "...a few years ago this guy would be getting us a cup of coffee..." Well, of course, the spin is Clinton is stating in reference to Obama being a junior senator, but ask anyone of color what that statement means to them. It sure is not about Barack Obama being a junior senator.

One thing about the Republicans, for people of color, they let us know how they feel. They let us know to our face, some of the Democrats? Not so much. They make references like this behind closed doors because they need people of color to win elections. It is arrogance, bigotry and thought like this that make them no different than any blatant Republican running. They are no different.

Harry Reid can lose his election in Nevada, I don't care. For me, there were other things of Reid that gives him a no in my book, but this disclosure is enough for me. Reid will not get one dime, no support from me. And don't tell me that we NEED HIM to hold the senate or keep a majority. Look at what we have in the senate now? A bunch of bought and paid for nothings who answer to corporations before citizens. They did nothing all of 2009 and losing Reid will not hurt this corporate bunch in my book.

Lastly, expect the apology tour. Reid already apologized to Obama, so expect more of that. But the thing for me is this, he said what he said and meant it, but now that he got caught say it all of a sudden he did not really mean it. What do I say to this, "BULLSHIT."

subscribe hereicebergslim on Daily Kos ShareNote: If you are viewing this in Firefox, on 17" monitor or smaller, the left panel may be blown. This is a firefox issue, if you view this in IE, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome, no issue. FYI.